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PIX 2015: Chasing light with Joe McNally

Published Nov 5, 2015 | Allison Johnson

Over the span of a 35-year career as a professional photographer, Joe McNally knows what it means to chase light. Known for his work with studio and off-camera lighting, McNally is just as well-versed in the art of natural light as he is artificial. In his PIX 2015 talk, he discusses the choices he makes about lighting to help bring out the most from his location and subject. And one thing you can be sure about with Joe: he's got a lot to say on the subject.

See more talks, demos and panels from PIX 2015

Tags: lighting, pix-2015, portraiture

Comments

Total comments: 29

At last - hope for us generalists.

0 upvotes

Joe isn't JUST #1, he is so far ahead that positions 2-10 remain empty!

Comment edited 7 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

Always really enjoy listening to Joe speaking, almost every word is a gem. Thanks for posting DPR!

0 upvotes

First time for me to watch Jim Mcnally speaking about his work; very refreshing to see he is such a simple person in his approach, and so easy to understand everything he explains! two thumbs up!

0 upvotes

Fantastic! So thankful for artists like McNally, who make "this" passion sensible and relatable.

0 upvotes

Such a wonderful and inspiring video. Thanks !

0 upvotes

Very nice. Inspirational!

0 upvotes

Excellent, more of this please DPR.

0 upvotes

Thanks Joe. Thanks dpreview for that high quality content. Fresh air

0 upvotes

He is an excellent speaker with great command over language and a very effective delivery. It would have been nice to better hear the audience. It appears to be implausible that the audience showed as little reaction as this recording suggests.

0 upvotes

So awesome…...: So blissful……: And so humble.
Thanks, DPR for making this, inspiring video available.

0 upvotes

Joe is a delight to listen to and watch no matter what the subject or forum.

0 upvotes

Post about photography: 12 comments.
Preview of camera: 300+ comments

9 upvotes

What did you expect from a site where professional photographs/real world results mean nothing about what a camera can do but numbers from DxO mean everything.

7 upvotes

It's a Gear-Site...
I don't see a comment from you, btw...

Comment edited 52 seconds after posting

1 upvote

A) You are wise to note that.

B) We know DXO data is still good to know.

0 upvotes

As an amateur photographer, I do want to see the tests on Dpreview and DxO, because my budget is limited and I can't earn money with my gear. So I better buy a camera and lens that fits my needs in the first place.
But as an amateur I also saw some lectures from Joe on DVDs. When he is showing how easy it is, you direct want to jump in his footsteps and try the same. Just to find out it is a bit more difficult, than it looked in the first place. But by following his steps again and again I really improved my skills.
This way he is a great inspiration for me in my hobby.

1 upvote

Fantastic images from a gifted artist and humble communicator. Just when you think the Internet does more harm than good it's great to stumble across this kind of excellence from the other side of the world. Thanks to DPR for making this available. Some extraordinary photographs here.

4 upvotes

Tremendous contribution to photo community. Two thumbs up for Joe and DPR to share such useful insights. Thank you for that.

7 upvotes

Thanks Joe, for sharing your thoughts with us. I really like your work and get good inspiration from you.
Great shots and great stories behind the shots.
Again THANKS.

2 upvotes

I always enjoy Joe's inspirational presentations vs. technical how-to type of talks. I think that's what most people interested in photography need more than the technical training....inspiration to go out and be creative.

3 upvotes

"McNally is just as well-versed in the art of natural light as he is artificial"
---
This sounds... interesting.

2 upvotes

Joe's the real deal. Talented, humble, approachable, and eschews the mystique persona that other popular photographers wrap themselves in to make themselves seem grander than they are.

9 upvotes

Thank you for this.

It falls in the realm of "public service" and it is especially important that it is being shown to DPR's demographics.

It IS about the light, not the equipment.

I felt tremendously in-sync throughout the whole presentation. The "corporate meeting" considerations part, then, is almost eerie in that it so much resembles what I always say. I had more than a chuckle.

I feel, though, that Joe might be making a mistake saying that he is a generalist photographer because he had no choice, he couldn't be good enough at any specific genre of photography.

I get asked a lot of times which type of photography I like most and I always reply "all of them".

(continues)

0 upvotes

(continued)

The inability to specialize is not the main factor behind becoming a "generalist".

It's the passion for the medium and, in a mostly preponderant way, something that Joe, himself, made a point about in this presentation: The knowledge that, being light the crux of it all, it has no "genre".

When light is perceived as special, it can be "read", interpreted and registered as a reflection of a beautifully serene face, a raw majestic natural scene or an elegantly streamlined architectural subject.

As he so aptly says: It is all about light and its ascribable narrative virtues.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

0 upvotes

as always, the lord of the lights...

2 upvotes

Enjoyable and very uplifting photo/lighting video talk.

phil

1 upvote

I like his take on being a professional generalist. That's how I've felt about myself...

1 upvote

A legend

3 upvotes

Total comments: 29

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